- Award date
- May 2012
Dr Allan Goodman, President and CEO of the Institute of International Education (IIE) was awarded the inaugural Gilbert Medal for Internationalisation by Universitas 21.
Dr Goodman’s numerous accomplishments at the IIE have directly fostered and encouraged the internationalisation of higher education. He is a well-known and highly respected figure within higher education and beyond, and is a worthy recipient of the first Gilbert Medal, who set a high standard for subsequent nominees. Speaking on the announcement of the award, Dr Goodman said:
The Gilbert Medal is a wonderful way to honour the memory of an individual who did so much for international higher education. Professor Gilbert had an inspired vision about what universities everywhere should do and how they could best serve others. I am deeply honoured to be selected for this inaugural award in his name. On behalf of all my colleagues at the Institute of International Education, I would like to thank the members of Universitas 21 for this recognition and for joining us in working to make the vision of internationalisation become a reality for students and campuses across the globe.
Dr Goodman spearheaded the Scholarship Rescue Fund which, since 2002, has rescued over 400 scholars threatened with violence, kidnapping or death as a result of their academic work. IIE has implemented programmes recently to assist students whose education was at risk of interruption following the south east Asian tsunami, Hurricane Katrina, and the earthquakes in Haiti and Japan. Emergency grants from IIE helped these students complete their education and return to help rebuild their countries. He has also inspired and guided many university leaders around the world to engage in global partnerships and internationalise their institutions, and has been involved in leadership training to prepare new university presidents around the world for their future roles as global academic leaders.
The inaugural Gilbert Medal was presented in May 2012 at a ceremony during U21’s Annual Presidential Meeting, at Lund University.